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NASB | Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God]. |
Bible Question:
Hello, I wanted to get my mind straight and understand that if we have eternal life because of believing in Christ and are under a blood covering how can people who have never heard the good news have eternal life? I know that their conscience of how much knowledge they have of God will be their judgement then why have the death of Christ at all ? thank you Gina Marie r-j-cody@msn.com |
Bible Answer: That question has puzzled many people for many years. But now, if you will promise to stop and think on it again, I will suggest to you that God has given us an answer in his word. Now I wish I could say, as Joseph might say, (Genesis 41) that God will give Gina Marie an answer of peace. I suspect that the answer which follows may be disturbing to many, but I trust that in so far as it is documented with passages from the word of God, you will consider it. No one who has left this life will ever be able to say he never heard the Gospel. God will make sure he hears it. God is clear in his declaration (in Romans 10 and elsewhere) that one must hear the Gospel in order to be saved. And I will say to you that ever since Genesis 3, the world has been hearing the Gospel. The news spread that the Lord had said to the serpent, “The seed of the woman shall bruise your head”. That was the event the world had to look to, and Jesus came “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them” (Hebrews 2). That was and is, Good News. We should not take too much time here to show that the Gospel has always been preached. Let us say that God was surely speaking it to the Jews. There were too many statements, and events, and sacrifices, and figures, for them to miss the point. Jesus would one day appear to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Please note, however, that the message was sometimes brought by Jesus Christ himself. The LORD appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day (Genesis 18). The Lord revealed to him that the wicked would be destroyed. And Abraham asked him, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” It is a rhetorical question, and we should always remember the answer implied. The Judge of all the earth will do right by all the earth. He will give every person a chance to be saved. After saying that a person must hear the Gospel to be saved, he will not punish those who have not heard. It will always be the condemnation, that light came, and men preferred darkness. What will happen to those who have not heard, then? The point of this note is that there will be no such situation, because they all will hear. The Lord made a promise to Abraham (Genesis 12) and to Isaac (Genesis 26) and to Jacob (Genesis 28) to each of them, saying, “In you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed”. He does not say, “Seeds”, (plural) but “Seed” (singular), referring to Christ (Galatians 3). And he does say that all the families of the earth will be blessed. So people everywhere will be saved through Christ. God is no respecter of persons. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10). But the question was this: “How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?” Also, “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” The point is that they must hear of Jesus. And Jesus told us to go into all the world and tell them about him (Matthew 28; Luke 24, etc.). But the follow-up question is this: “What if we do not go?” The answer I give to you is this, that Jesus goes himself. Do not be surprised at this. Jesus told us that he is going anyway. When he sends us, he goes before us (John 10). As we go, Lo, he is with us always (Matthew 28). I wish that I had the time and space now to show this in detail, but I will offer you these references. Jesus is the Light, and he lightens every man (John 1). He draws all men (John 12). He preached to them in Old Testament times (1Peter 3). He preached on earth in the times covered by the gospels (Mark 1, etc.). He appeared to Paul (Acts 9). He appeared to John (Revelation 1). He comes to the church (Revelation 3). He sends us into all the world, and we have that privilege to be coworkers with him. But when we do not go, and where we do not go, he goes himself. In every place, those who seek after him find him (Acts 17) because he is there for them. I hope this is not a comfort to anyone who refuses to go with the Gospel, to consider that Jesus goes himself. We do not refuse to praise him and then rejoice because the stones cry out. We must go, and he, going before us, will prepare their hearts. The Holy Spirit will use the words we speak to convince them. And we will win them. That is how we know our work is not in vain, because God is with us. It is God who works in them, as in us, both to will and to do his good pleasure. But when we disobey, and fail to go, that will not make the word of God of none effect. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, will shined in their hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He will bring the light of the Gospel to everyone, even if he has to do it himself. |